29 Silica Rd, Carine WA 6020, Australia
My grandmother was in the facility. She had dementia, her last few weeks were less than pleasant for her. She had a fall at approximately 3am, instead of listening to her complaining of pain they picked her up. She had broken her collar bone & broke her pelvic bone. Didn’t call family until 10am the following day! This resulted in 2 trips to ED, she had dementia & was so incredibly confused. The fall resulted end of life care for her, it was the most heartbreaking experience. We had been told we would be given a final report on what had happened, 7 months later & a still nothing. She had also lost jewellery, mentioned numerous times, was also told there would be follow up. Many times things were suppose to be followed up but never actually happens. Also they put on agency nurses at night time that couldn’t care less for the patients. Yes it looks great, but do some research into where your loved one goes. Wasn’t all bad, but just make sure you stand up for your loved one & make sure they have someone voice for them.
Read More ReviewsMy grandmother was in the facility. She had dementia, her last few weeks were less than pleasant for her. She had a fall at approximately 3am, instead of listening to her complaining of pain they picked her up. She had broken her collar bone & broke her pelvic bone. Didn’t call family until 10am the following day! This resulted in 2 trips to ED, she had dementia & was so incredibly confused. The fall resulted end of life care for her, it was the most heartbreaking experience. We had been told we would be given a final report on what had happened, 7 months later & a still nothing. She had also lost jewellery, mentioned numerous times, was also told there would be follow up. Many times things were suppose to be followed up but never actually happens. Also they put on agency nurses at night time that couldn’t care less for the patients. Yes it looks great, but do some research into where your loved one goes. Wasn’t all bad, but just make sure you stand up for your loved one & make sure they have someone voice for them.
My first impression of this facility was nothing short of impressive. It is, after all, relatively new and therefore modern. The inside looks the same - big, spacious, well appointed. We were advised to look past those things and look at the personal side of things - the professionalism of staff, the interaction of staff with residents, the care we could see being provided. Initially we, my sister and I, were very impressed with what we saw - and it is likely many other families would agree with us as there are many residents. As time went on and Mum settled into her new residence it became apparent that all was not as good and glamorous as we were to initially led to believe. My sister is able to visit Mum daily. Her daily visits enabled her to see the shortcomings of this facility. It soon became apparent also, that she was not the only one who was disgruntled by the services provided or lack of services. Most residents pay for extra services - $41.75 per day - and this is just one part of a major issue with this facility. When we initially chose this place we were given a vague list of what 'extras' meant - it soon became obvious that they were definitely not being provided. Without going into major detail here - the residents paying this extra money were basically receiving the same care and experiences as those residents not paying the extra services fee - and even the basic care was lacking. The administration staff has changed numerous times in the past year or so and people have been brought in from their head office in Sydney to try and sort out the issues - however as advocates for our loved ones - we have been given a lot of lip service and, although there has been some effort to rectify some of the situations, it has not been particularly successful or ongoing. My sister has had numerous meetings - face to face, phone calls and video calls - to try and rectify these issues but none of these resulted in positive progress in resolving anything. We, and other advocates of residents, have made complaints to the Aged Care Commission and their investigation is ongoing. This facility is one of many in the Opal group of aged care facilities. It is definitely business first and care a seemingly lowly second. The carers provide quite good care however I believe they are overworked and underpaid and there is often a language barrier between the elderly residents and carers - the ratio between carers and residents is definitely not enough. When Mum moved into this facility we were asked what her needs were. Many of those have not been fulfilled and my sister has constantly had to engage with staff regarding those issues. Overall, they do not provide the level of care anyone should expect in such a facility. They seem to forget who their clients are - suggesting recently that they are listening what residents want and that it is unfortunate if families do not agree...many residents are suffering from dementia and others - simply because of their age and because they are of the generation they are - need family members to advocate for them in all areas of their lives there. They advertise and offer more than they provide. You will notice that they offer to meet with those who have concerns...and they do, but nothing changes. They wanted my sister to have a weekly meeting so she could tell them what they needed to fix!! Very, very disappointed with this facility.
I first visited Opal Care in November 2019 when I was looking to place my mother into residential care. We were greeted with the Client Services Officer Alexi Lawes who showed us all over the facilities and was so compassionate and caring and made us feel very welcome. Mum moved into Opal in December and was able to choose her own room and is very happy there. The place reminds me of a beautiful hotel with lots of wide open spaces, gardens and outdoor areas that families can entertain their loved ones. The dining rooms are set up extremely well, the tables are all decorated with table cloths and serviettes and staff come around each day to give the residents a choice of lunch and evening meals for the following day. There are planned activities each day and the residents are encouraged to join in if they desire. I would also like to mention the front line staff ie, the receptionist Louise Bronkhorst who does a absolutely wonderful job in the way she interacts with families and their loved ones. She is truly a wonderful ambassador for Opal Care! The staff that i have had dealings with are all professional and caring and i feel satisfied that my mother is in the best place.
After many years of complaints this place continues to charge high prices but deliver sub standard care. Unfortunately the residents are not their priority. My father was unwell and had a fall and no one contacted me as the next of kin. I had to ask for his vitals to be done and he was febrile. I had to ask to give him panadol, I had to ask for a locum doctor to come see him which I was told wouldn’t be there u til 11pm that night as it was a Sunday. The locum never came and they didn’t notify me! This place will never change. Looking at transferring my parents elsewhere.
I first viewed Opal Carine in October, 2018 and my initial impression was that it was a beautiful facility with lovely garden outdoor areas. The atmosphere was very relaxed, the staff were welcoming and the residents seemed happy and well looked after. When it became necessary to make the difficult decision to place my brother into residential care, my first thoughts were of Opal. As it was an extremely emotional time for me, I found the compassion and understanding of Alexi Lawes and the team extremely supportive in making his transition into care as smooth as possible. Since then, my brother has settled in well and has his own well-appointed room. He is comfortable and at home in a facility that is both welcoming and top class. His meal-times are enjoyed in a beautiful dining room with a variety of food offered that is cooked fresh daily. With the additional services like physiotherapy and a doctor on site, as a family, it gives us great peace of mind knowing my brother is happy and being looked after by staff making every effort to give him a high level of care. Thank you to everyone at Opal!
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